Read More

“I don’t like throwing people under the bus and so it had my face on that leaflet, and so I’m happy taking full responsibility and apologising.

“Labour policy on tuition fees and student debt is pretty clear and I’m really happy reminding people that we want to abolish tuition fees."

The apology came after the Conservative party had pounced upon the leaflets.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Sutton and Devonport MP Luke Pollard

Prime Minister Theresa May waving one copy around in the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Question Time on Wednesday, declaring it was evidence of Labour making promises they could not keep.

The Prime Minister said: “Week in, week out, the right honourable gentleman comes to this house making promises he knows he cannot deliver, and Labour Members keep doing it.

“At the election, he told students that they would write off their student debt, and then he said, 'I did not commit to write off the debt'. But what is the Labour party doing?

“It is putting around leaflets that say 'Labour will cancel existing student debt'.

"It is time he apologised for the grossly misleading Labour leaflets.”

Gary Streeter, Conservative MP for South West Devon, tweeted: “I am sure that @LukePollard will recall all of these leaflets and issue one telling the truth. It is a serious matter to mislead young voters.”

The official leaflet was delivered to its recipients on November 30 - Plymouth University student, Jake Thurman claimed on Twitter that he had sent it to the Prime Minister.

During a 30-minute Facebook Live hosted by Luke for Plymouth residents to ask him various questions, he addressed the situation and apologised.

He said: “Some of you will have seen today at Prime Ministers question time that the Prime Minister being unable to answer any questions on Brexit decided to attack Jeremy Corbyn on student debt which is something that the Tories like going on about.

“In that she used a prop which was a Labour party leaflet. That leaflet came from Drake ward in the constituency that I represent and she used that as evidence that Labour were not being or saying things that were not party policy.

“Tuition fees are helping students graduate with £50,000 worth of debt, it’s simply unacceptable that, that level of debt is occurred for gaining skills that people needs, that Britain needs people to have in the 21 Century.

Read More

Politics news

“On student debt our position is also clear – I’m disappointed that, that wasn’t made clear in the leaflet that was sent out.

“I’ve spoken to all the volunteers involved, I’m sorry this shouldn’t have happened and – over-enthusiastic volunteers but I think that everyone has learnt a very important lesson today. Hopefully that will be the end of it there.

“I know the Tories all want to make lots more political gains out of it, but I thought it was important that before I say too much publicly that I speak to all those people involved so we can get to the bottom of what was going on.

“It’s something that we should not have done and we should do better and from now on."